DAVENPORT, Fla. — Central Florida commuters often hear about - and experience - traffic backups in the Champions Gate area. 

It's a very busy spot, especially during the morning and afternoon commutes. 

Now, traffic officials are taking a closer look at efforts to ease congestion in that growing part of Osceola County. 

Driver Aaron Brown said he considers himself lucky because he works flexible hours and can sometimes miss the traffic. 

"I try to travel after peak hours of traffic to get through it so I don't have to deal with it at all," he said about commuting around Champions Gate. “It could take 15, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, depending on the morning.”

Brown drivers are desperate to shave off the time to get onto Interstate 4. 

That includes cutting through a shopping center parking lot to beat traffic. Brown said he blames the new development and rapid growth for the traffic troubles.

“Maybe another lane to get on I-4 or something to get on I-4," he said. "To make it a little easier where people aren't stopping because the stopping at the stop light here is causing all the backups."

FDOT does have big plans for the main Champions Gate interchange, once the I-4 Ultimate project to the north is complete.

In the meantime, the FDOT's community outreach specialist Mariam Ali said: “To help move traffic more efficiently through the area until the larger scale reconstruction of the interchange can be done, the Department has a planned an intermediate project by converting the I-4/Champions Gate interchange into a diverging diamond.”

A diverging diamond allows traffic to cross to the opposite side of the road to eliminate left turns across on-coming traffic, with the hope of easing congestion.

Surveyors with FDOT have started studying the interchange as preps for the Diverging Diamond with construction is set to begin late next year.

In addition, new auxiliary lanes on I-4 will be built between Champions Gate and State Road 429 next year.

Changes that Brown hopes will give him even more flexibility for his ride to work.

“I could schedule that commute in the morning.”